Mended Wands
by cuteej4
Summary: Sequel to Broken Wands. It's the aftermath of the battle. What exactly happened to Hermione and how does Ron deal with it. Should read Broken Wands before this one.


Ron was lying in bed wide awake. He seemed to be having trouble sleeping lately. Dreams about that night invaded his head more often than not. The heartbreak of seeing Hermione lifeless and pale every night made ice run through his veins. His bed was empty and the bed sheets were tangled around his legs. He'd gone through another rough night and was now currently trying to get out of the twisted mess. He struggled for a moment before giving up and simply hoped that somebody would come to rescue him. He stared up at the ceiling and watched the fan go in slow circles. He slowly drifted into a light sleep where again he dreamt of the night he lost her.

Spells were being thrown everywhere that it was hard to tell where to run. Harry was too busy fighting to the death with Voldemort to notice anything else. Ron noticed Lucius Malfoy running for the open forest and Hermione going after him. Ron threw a bone-breaking curse at Dolohov before running towards Hermione. As he ran, he dodged spells and threw curses until he was safely hidden amongst the trees. The battle became muffled as he ran deeper into the forest looking for Hermione. He faintly saw a spark of light ahead of him and he picked up his pace. He got to the clearing where Hermione was busy dueling with the Death Eater and Ron threw the Crutiatus curse. Lucius Malfoy let out a hissing noise and was brought to his knees.

"You are a mere child! You cannot beat ME! A mudblood and a Weasley?!" he said with pain in his voice.

Lucius gathered his strength and threw a curse that blasted Hermione 20 feet through the air. The blood in Ron's veins boiled with anger and he threw the hardest Crutiatus curse he could muster. Lucius began to writhe in pain on the ground and screaming for his life.

"You will NEVER call her that again!" Ron screamed. "You have no right! You're a filthy bastard!"

Ron let up the curse for just a moment and Lucius was panting heavily on the ground. His shoulders were shaking which made Ron think he was crying. He was laughing.

"The red-headed boy and the mudblood are in love?" Lucius breathed. "That is rather… touching. Do tell me when the wedding will be so I can ruin it for the both of you…if I haven't already."

Ron screamed with rage and threw the killing curse with all his strength at Lucius. He became limp at once with that glassy stare in his eyes. Ron walked over to his body and bent down.

"You will never harm another living soul again, you bastard. I hope you enjoy your permanent stay in hell!" Ron spat out.

Ron quickly got up and ran towards Hermione. She was curled up on the ground looking like she was in a great deal of pain. He got closer and saw that she was breathing rather shallow. He knelt down and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, love…are you okay?" Ron asked with concern.

Hermione cringed a bit but nodded in response.

"I'm…fine," she gulped. "It doesn't…hurt…that…badly."

"I can go get some help, love. He threw you pretty hard." Ron was worried now.

"Ron…no. I'm strong. I'm all right. I'm just…tired," Hermione breathed.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Hermione. Just stay awake a little longer, yeah? We're all tired. We'll all rest together." Ron brushed away a tear. "Harry needs us."

Hermione gave him a weak smile and put her hand to his face. Ron leaned into her touch and breathed out a sigh. He closed his eyes for just a moment to soak in the moment and then opened them again.

"Harry will be fine, Ron. It's all going to…work out." Hermione was weakening. "We'll all be together…soon. I just know it, Ron…" she whispered. "It will all...work out"

Hermione's breathing became even more shallow and she caressed Ron's cheek once more. She gave him a smile reserved just for him and her hand fell to her side. Her eyes fluttered a few seconds before she closed her eyes and let out one final breath. Ron let out a sob and brought Hermione to his chest. He held her tightly and whispered his vows of love for her.

After what seemed like an eternity, he laid her gently back to the ground and caressed her cheek with his hand. He took out his wand and performed healing spells on her body. He was still poor at fixing ripped clothing and was forced to leave the rips in her robes. He then lifted her tenderly from the ground and began to walk out of the forest with a promise never to come back.

Ron was beginning to think that snapping his wand in half had been a bit too dramatic. Leaving the battle scene and telling Harry that he was done had been intensely difficult for him. He hadn't meant to be so harsh with Harry because he knew that Harry was only trying to help. Now he was currently trying to get into St. Mungo's without being noticed by anybody. Sneaking around would have been easier with his wand but his eyes and ears would have to do for now. He listened intently for sounds of footsteps and made sure to hide if anybody approached. He waited until the nurse at the desk left for a moment and snuck over to look at the room assignments. He finally spotted the right room number on the roster and was determined to make it without being seen by anybody. He whispered the number of door to himself as he passed the incorrect ones. He felt like he was playing a game of hide and seek but was hoping the seeker would never succeed. He finally reached the correct door marked 'Harry Potter' and put his ear to the door to listen. He heard nothing and slowly opened the door.

Hermione was lying still on the bed and looking very peaceful in her funeral robes. Harry and Ginny were both asleep in their chairs with their heads resting on Hermione's bed. Harry had his hand in Ginny's and their fingers were intertwined together. Ron approached the bed and took a deep breath as he soaked in Hermione's presence. He felt as if he had not seen in her in years and his heart was barely ready. He moved over to the other side of the bed where Harry and Ginny sat and cleared his throat. Ginny quickly awoke, which in turn woke up Harry.

"Whazgoinon?" Harry muttered. "Is it time?"

Ron chuckled. "It better be. The last few days have been hell."

"Ron!" Ginny and Harry both exclaimed. "You're back!"

Ginny flung herself into his arms and held on tightly. He returned the embrace and gave a smile to Harry.

"That was the plan, wasn't it?" Ron half-smiled.

Ginny let go of Ron and he turned to Harry. His eyes gave off the most sincere look of apology.

"Look mate, I realize I was a bit harsh," Ron said sheepishly.

"A bit?" Harry smirked. "Ron, you're my best mate. We're all allowed to explode sometimes. I just want to be here for you."

"Does anybody suspect anything?" Ron asked.

"Nobody knows a thing. They all think that you've left for good…with hopes of returning someday. Ginny and I have been by Hermione's side the whole time. Not even the Healers caught anything," Harry stated. "Everything is working just like it's supposed to."

"Good." Ron looked at the clock on the wall. "It should be any moment now. I really want to thank you guys for everything that you've done. I don't think we could have pulled it off without you."

"Ron," Harry started, "you know what this plan means? You can't ever come back. Not really. At least she can't…We're the only ones that know about this."

"I know, Harry," Ron sighed. "We're prepared. I'm giving you the place we'll be living. It's a little cottage in Scotland. You two will be the only ones able to find it. It's set up just like the World Cup was."

"Geez, Ron," Harry was surprised. "You really thought of everything."

"You have to go to extreme lengths to have a quiet life sometimes," Ron said.

Ron gave Harry a piece of paper with the location of the cottage. They smiled at each other for a moment before they heard a moan. Ron turned his head around to look at Hermione and saw the slightest bit of movement come from her left hand. Ron sat in the chair closest and squeezed her hand. He felt the slightest squeeze being returned and heard another sound escaping her lips. Her right hand made a small movement before clenching into a fist.

"Hermione?" Ron asked.

A mumble now tumbled out and her chest was moving slowly up and down. Her eyes began to flutter open and she squeezed Ron's hand with even more strength. Elation was growing within Ron's heart as he realized everything had worked out as they had planned. Hermione was moving even more and her eyes finally opened fully. She stared right at Ron and gave him a groggy smile.

"Ron," Hermione exhaled. "I told you it would work."

"I know, love," Ron smiled. "I'll never doubt the smartest witch of our time again."

Ron moved to help her sit up and Harry went over to get her a glass of water. Ginny went to get her suitcase for their departure. Hermione leaned against Ron's chest and breathed in his scent.

"I missed you," she mumbled into his chest. "I missed you so much."

Ron laughed. "I doubt you missed me more than I missed you. You were _dead _the whole time. I had to sit around waiting for you. Without a bloody wand, no less."

"Don't curse," she said as she took the glass of water from Harry. "And what happened to your wand?"

"He uh…got a little carried away," Harry piped in. "I thought you were actually gone once he did that."

"Where is my wand, by the way?" Ron asked.

"I've got it, Ron," Ginny said. "It took me a day to fix it but I got it working again."

Ginny handed Ron back his wand and he gave her a hug. Ron muttered a quick Lumos spell to make sure everything was in proper order and then tucked it away.

"Can you walk by yourself, Hermione, or do you need help?" Ron asked. "We really have to get going."

"Mmm. Just give me a moment. The potion made me rather groggy," she replied.

Hermione finally stood up and walked rather slowly to Harry. He held out her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"You took care of everything, Harry?" Hermione mumbled. "Nobody will wonder why I'm gone?"

Harry laughed. "Nobody will know, Hermione. We used charms on a fake body and now those ashes are sitting on your parents' mantle. Nobody will come looking for you."

"Thank you," Hermione whispered. "You've helped us so much."

"You've helped _me_ more than you could ever imagine," Harry whispered back. "This was the least I could do for my friends."

A tear fell down Hermione's cheek and Harry wiped it away with his thumb.

"Don't worry about it all," Harry smiled. "We'll come see you."

Hermione handed Harry a thick envelope. "Could you give this to my parents for me, please? It should explain everything we did in there. I just couldn't keep them out of our plans…I love them too much."

Harry gave her a sympathetic look. "I understand, Hermione."

As Hermione talked to Harry, Ron walked over to Ginny and gave her one last hug.

"Ginny. You're my sister and I love you," Ron spoke. "Hermione and I are trusting you with this secret. Don't let us down."

Ginny's eyes began to water. "I would never do that, Ron. Harry and I know what to do."

"Look, I know Mum is going to be going crazy about me. It's your job to reassure her that I'm okay and everything will be fine. When the time is right, I will come back," Ron said.

Ginny laughed through her tears. "Mum is gonna kill me."

Ron pulled her back into the hug and chuckled. "That's just the price we'll have to pay for a quiet life."

Ginny swatted his arm playfully and Hermione came over to his side. She gave Ginny a hug and whispered that she would miss her.

"I'm ready," Hermione said, turning to Ron. "Let's go."

Ron grasped her hand and gave her a faint smile. They turned back one last time to Harry and Ginny before disappearing through the doors.

Faint giggling filled Ron's head and shook him from his reminiscing. He opened his eyes to see Hermione standing at the edge of the bed with a glass of orange juice in her hand. She was dressed in one of his button down shirts, which barely covered her bare thighs and made her look positively desirable. She placed the glass on the nightstand and walked over to his side.

"In a tight spot there, Mr. Weasley?" Hermione mused.

Ron looked down at the twisted mess around his legs. "It's possible, Mrs. Weasley."

"Do you need a little help?" she asked.

"Oh. Erm…I thought maybe you would join me," he replied.

He grabbed Hermione by the waist and she let out a shriek. She fell on top of him and gave him a short kiss on the lips. He gave her a mischievous smile, rolled her over, and started to tickle her. She started laughing and squirming in his arms before trying and failing to get away. She screamed through her fits of laughter for him to stop. He finally did and looked down at her with a look of sincere love.

"Do you have to work today, love?" Ron asked with a smile.

"The library is generally closed on Sundays, Ron," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Perfect. Now I can have my way with you." Ron began to kiss her neck. She giggled at his actions and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Hermione pulled him in closely while he continued to nibble on her neck and he settled between her legs. He slowly moved from her neck to her lips and Hermione moved her head for Ron to have better access.

"Mmm. Did you get that letter to your parents mailed?" Ron asked while moving his hand slowly past her stomach and began to caress her thigh.

Hermione moaned and giggled. "Yes, Ron. I'd prefer not to talk about my parents while we're doing this."

"Hey now," Ron moved his hand back to her stomach. "I just wanted to make sure they knew the good news."

Hermione smiled brightly and moved her own hand on top of his own. Ron moved his body down and settled his head on her stomach. Hermione began to stroke his hair and look at him lovingly.

"I can hear the pitter patter of little feet already," Ron said, looking up at her.

"Well, that was fast," Hermione replied. "I'm only six weeks pregnant."

"Love…what's going to happen when our baby turns eleven? They couldn't really go to Hogwarts, could they?" Ron moved his ear to listen some more.

"Mmm. We'll figure it out, Ron," Hermione replied. "For now, we can just enjoy each other's company."

"I like the sound of that." Ron grinned and pulled her down to kiss her squarely on the mouth.


End file.
